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Episode 7

Sam Selvon’s 1965 classic about a group of friends trying to get on the property ladder. With home-ownership a long way off, Syl frets about his love life.
Read by Martina Laird

Sam Selvon’s sparkling, lyrical tale of a group of Caribbean immigrants who band together to buy a house in London.

Sick of paying exorbitant rent for a basement in Brixton, Battersby decides to buy his own house – but he can’t do it alone. He pulls together a motley crew of shift workers, pot-washers, hustlers and calypsonians who all share a desire to own their place. Plans, scams, deceits and double dealing ensue as friends feud and switch allegiance and through it all, the pile of money under Bat's mattress never quite grows as it should.

With home-ownership feeling increasingly like a pipe dream, Syl starts to fret about his love life.

Written by Sam Selvon
Abridged by Patricia Cumper
Read by Martina Laird
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

14 minutes

Last on

Tue 13 Oct 2020 22:45

Broadcasts

  • Tue 13 Oct 2020 12:04
  • Tue 13 Oct 2020 22:45